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Posted: Apr 19, 2022

Women’s Tennis Beats Desert to Clinch Trip to State Championships

Women’s Tennis Beats Desert to Clinch Trip to State Championships
Photos

TORRANCE, Calif. --- El Camino College downed fellow South Coast Conference squad College of the Desert, 5-2, in the California Community College Athletics Association Women's Tennis Southern California Regional Final on Tuesday afternoon at the ECC Tennis Courts.

With the victory, the Warriors advance to the CCCAA State Championship match for the first time in program history. Prior to this season, the SoCal Regional Final was the furthest the team had advanced back in 2002 and 2003, both resulting in losses to Grossmont, the eventual state champion.

The Warriors last women's tennis team title came in 1974 at the Ojai Tennis Tournament when they were the first recipients of the Harriet Thacher Team Trophy awarded to the top community college team in the state.

On Tuesday, the Warriors were spotted three points as the Roadrunners did not have enough players to field a third doubles team nor a No. 5 and No. 6 player. As a result, the Warriors needed to just win two games to clinch a trip to the state championship match.

The No. 1 doubles team of Julia Jones and Kekoa Vaefa, the 2022 South Coast Conference champions, got the Warriors halfway there with an 8-4 win against the Roadrunners top duo of Shekinah Daffon and Antonella Mazzotti.

But the Roadrunners were able to take the No. 2 doubles match, forcing the Warriors to win one of the four remaining singles matches to clinch.

Warriors No. 4 Kayla Brown helped put an end to the suspense, defeating Mazzotti in straight sets to clinch the match. At the time of Brown's victory, the other two matches in progress were either tied at one set apiece or en route to a third set.

The Warriors, the No. 1 seed in Southern California, will face off against Northern California No. 3 seed Canada College of Redwood City, Calif. The Colts defeated No. 1 seed Chabot, 5-3, on Monday to punch their ticket to the CCCAA State Championships.

Overall, the Colts went 14-1 on the season with their only loss coming to Chabot on March 15 by a score of 5-4.

The CCCAA Women's Tennis State Championships will take place on Saturday, April 23 at the Bakersfield Racquet Club in Bakersfield, Calif. First serve is set for 10:30 a.m.

CCCAA Southern California Regional Final

No. 1 EL CAMINO COLLEGE 5, No. 5 COLLEGE OF THE DESERT 2

SINGLES

  1. Julia Jones (ECC) vs. Shekinah Daffon (COD) 1-6, 6-5 (suspended)
  2. Emunah Daffon (COD) def. Kekoa Vaefa (ECC) 6-1, 6-1
  3. Danay Holman (ECC) vs. Augustina Berrondo (COD) 6-0, 4-6 (suspended)
  4. Kayla Brown (ECC) def. Antonella Mazzotti (COD) 6-2, 6-4
  5. Stefanie Liebich (ECC) def. Kimberly Jimenez (COD) by default
  6. Madeline Evans (ECC) by default

Order of Finish: 5, 6, 2, 4

DOUBLES

  1. Jones/Vaefa (ECC) def. S. Daffon/Mazzotti (COD) 8-4
  2. E. Daffon/Berrondo (COD) def. Holman/Brown (ECC) 8-2
  3. Liebich/Evans (ECC) by default

Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1